The Apocalypstix rock

Lady comic book lovers should be on the lookout for The Apocalypstix, a new animated adventure about an all-girl rock band that needs to save the world — pronto.

A mash-up of Tank Girl and Josie & The Pussycats, the story is created by the Canadian duo Ray Fawkes (Spookshow, Mnemovore) and Cameron Stewart (Catwoman, Seaguy), and it provides a comic touch for an end-of-the-world tale. Artist Stewart explained the evolution of the project to a Canadian newspaper:

We created these characters about five years ago. I was working on Catwoman at the time, and getting a little burned out, because of drawing Gotham City with all these buildings and backgrounds. It was just a lot of stuff that I didn’t enjoy drawing very much. And I was hitting a point where I was interested in drawing something of my own and something that was really fun.

I started by making a little list of what I wanted to draw. Something with cute girls, which anyone who knows me or my work, that should be really obvious. I’m a big music fan so I wanted to do something with music, and as joke, I thought the exact opposite of drawing Gotham City would be a desert.

The duo said the story, which will be concluded in a second book, is heavily inspired by B-movies and 1970s horror flicks. The Apocalypstix pages are filled with girls with guns and guitars and the men are not much more than squealing fan boys. And, in the wacky world of comics, anything goes: our multi-culti warriors Mandi, Megumi and Dot share top billing.

The duo’s goal was fun. Like anyone who has been to a movie theater in the past year and sat through all those bummer previews, they’ve noticed the flux of disaster and end-of-the-world movies. People, collectively, they figure, are stressing out. What sets them apart is their optimism. Said Stewart:

It doesn’t have to be depressing. You look at the world now, compared to the world 20 years ago, or 40 years ago. It’s so different. It’s not horrible. That’s something I wanted to look at.

The first book is available now from Oni Press. The only thing that could make it more fun is a soundtrack. So, in an effort to help out Mandi, Megumi and Dot, I’ve come up with some choice cuts for background tunage as they kick ass. But then you’ve got to add your own picks. Ready?

Sleater-Kinney, “Ballad of A Ladyman”: Starts off nice and slow and then erupts into a manifesto of gender equality. Punchy enough for fisticuffs!

Babes In Toyland, “Bluebel”: I just want to see someone get his butt kicked while this song plays. Fair enough?